Prompt 2

As an ELL classroom I become highly aware of the linguistics and ethnicities within the classroom. The students are rather diverse in their ethnicities. There is a range of Hispanic heritage. While many speak Spanish they come from many different countries such as the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico. Besides Hispanic students there are others such as Laos and Portuguese. With all diverse backgrounds it many seem like there would be little unity. However, these students tend to bond because of the fact that they are all trying to learn, something unfamiliar, together. They even help one another out without hesitation. There are two twin sisters that are new to the US and speak very little English. Many times the students will translate for the girls so they can understand the activity that needs to be done. However, there is many times when either the students can’t help the girls or they are trying to learn the material themselves and cannot teach it to them because they don’t understand yet either. As in Goldenburg, the idea that the students should have a basic platform for grammar and other reading and writing skills in their native language is imperative. At times the teacher may try to relate to the students what they are learning by using their first language. For example, when trying to explain different tenses if the student does not understand tenses in their own language they may have a much harder time grasping the concepts. Despite there being barriers in language this does not have to be looked upon negatively. These students influence one another each day and pull from their own cultures to help themselves and one another to learn.